Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
PIB Chandigarh organizes Rural Media Workshop ‘Vartalap’ at Karnal
Media should focus on development journalism, PIB fact check needs to be used widely to prevent spread of misleading information ADG Shri Rajinder Chaudhry
Media should be used to spread positive stories :ADC Dr Vaishali Yadav
Demonstration of Drone technology before media to emphasise the reduction in the life risk of farmers, saving of water and time and its cost-effectiveness during pesticides spraying over the crop fields
1st Women Drone Pilot of Haryana, Ms Nisha Saulanki shares her experiences with Media
Press Information Bureau , Chandigarh today organized rural Media Workshop ‘Vartalap’ at district Karnal .The Workshop was aimed at building a direct interface between PIB and the journalists working at district and sub-district levels. The workshop, organized at Shri Mangalsen Auditorium, Karnal was inaugurated by Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Vaishali Sharma, under the chairmanship of Additional Director General PIB Chandigarh, Shri Rajinder Chaudhry.
Additional Director General  PIB Chandigarh , Shri Rajinder Chaudhry said that Media is the most powerful tool for dissemination of information. Besides focusing on investigative journalism, media should also focus on development journalism and try to focus on the successful and positive stories from the ground. He also stressed upon media ethics and code of conduct for journalists before reporting on various issues. He also said women are leading on all fronts and in the times to come, the region shall witness more active participation from women in media as well as other fields.
While addressing the journalists, Shri Chaudhry also reiterated that journalists should amplify the information shared by various government agencies and help propagate the message of development among the masses. He also spoke about PIB Fact Check which can help negate fake news while giving a detailed presentation about the working of PIB and other allied media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Stressing on the importance of Social Media in today’s times, he said, “Social media is now an extremely powerful tool for information dissemination. However, we must be cautious of fake news and misinformation and we must share only verified information.”
In his inaugural address, Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Vaishali Sharma appreciated the efforts of PIB Chandigarh for organizing the media workshop ‘Vartalap’ in district Karnal which she termed as the best platform for a dialogue between media and the government. She said that media being the fourth pillar of democracy acts as eyes and ears of the government and such coordination is essential to obtain necessary feedback and address the concerns regarding implementation of the schemes and programmes of the government at the ground level. She also said that the media serves as a Double –edged sword and it is up to media whether to promote the positive and development oriented stories to the masses and Media must use itself for the constructive reporting.
Prof. Dr. Abid Ali presented a very insightful session on Social Media and said that Social Media promotes social development through integration of audiences with the mainstream media. He also said that Social Media must be used responsibly to spread authentic information to the masses.
Prof. Satyendra Yadav gave information, uses and legal aspects on the Drone operations. He Said that Drone technology reduces the life risk of farmers, saves water, time and is cost-effective during pesticides spraying over the crop fields.
Dr. Rashmi Singh highlighted the importance of women's empowerment in today's society and praised the government's efforts towards the welfare of women. She also urged women to take advantage of the schemes to improve their socio-economic status. "These schemes provide women with an opportunity to not only better themselves.
District Information and Public Relations Officer, Karnal Shri Manoj Kaushik lauded the effort of Press Information Bureau and said that unlike mostly when the media is involved in the coverage of events, today PIB has given them opportunity to be the star of the event and that such media workshops must be help regularly in the region for better coordination.
Smt Vatica Chandra , Field Publicity Officer, PIB Chandigarh welcomed media and the guests and Shri Ahmad Khan Field Publicity Officer ,CBC Chandigarh presented vote of thanks.More than 70 journalists from Print Media, Social Media and Electronic media attended the workshop and shared their experience and provided inputs on various issues.
The workshop was organized to sensitize journalists about various Central Government schemes meant for the welfare of common citizens. Titled “Vartalap”, the workshop is part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s media outreach strategy and is conceptualized to act as a bridge between the masses and the government by empowering journalists with authentic information about Govt. schemes and policies.
The technical sessions were followed by interactive question-answer session .The workshop was also followed by the Demonstration of Drone by the First woman Drone Pilot of Haryana, Ms. Nisha Solanki. The journalists expressed their views, and provided constructive feedback .The journalists also thanked PIB for organizing the workshop and expressed hope that more such workshops will be conducted in future.